North Star Claw Anchors

[David Wills]

I'm in the process of looking into a new anchor. We have a 52' motoryacht and anchor a lot...
I've read about the superior holding of a "BRUCE", and some what skepticial about and off brand. Can some shed some light on North Star claw. The price is attractive, but is it waste of money..
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

"Synergy" 52'

[RainDog]

There seem to be two grades of claws available. The North Star, Lewmar, and Horizon all are around $100-$150 for a 44lb. The Manson Ray is around $700 for the same size.

I would think this indicates a higher grade of steel used. This is not based on anything other than looking at the prices, but I would for sure investigate it more fully before trusting a 52' boat to a $100 piece of steel.

I suspect the extra $600 would be money well spent.

[Sailmonkey]

We used to have a lewmar claw, the 33lb job that costs around $100 US. It was replaced as the casting looks suspect (grainy iron or steel) has a strange bend in the shank, and was rusting rapidly in the high wear areas.

[RainDog]

Another option is to look for a used genuine Bruce. They are quite common on ebay and in boaters resale shops. By most accounts these seem to be very well made anchors.

[Ram]

I could not sleep at night if I was using a BRUCE -OR CLAW- both are inferior anchors- Try the Ronca, Manson Supreme or Delta- if you care about your vessel and a good nights sleep

[delmarrey]

Most claws are made in china now. They are fine for a lunch anchor but for serious stuff I'd go with the Delta or Ronca style.

Like mentioned above, after a time or two of use check for rust lines. That would indicate a crack. But of all the forums I've been on I have yet to hear of any failures of the claw but have with the Danforth and CQR's.

I have a 15 kg claw myself that I use a lot and it catches and holds 90% on the first try and 99% on the second try. But once I've back down on it, it has never let loose. I carry a Delta as a secondary anchor and Danforth as a third.

[djmarchand]

David:

Let me correct something that you said in your first post. Bruce anchors usually score the lowest in HOLDING tests but at the top in SETTING tests.

Anchors who do well in both are the Rocna and Manson.

David

[RainDog]

Nice summary of sand and mud tests: http://www.practical-sailor.com/news...7-2-Value2.pdf

[delmarrey]

And here are some test results by Rocna.

http://www.rocna.com/press/press_0612_wm_ym_testing.pdf

[craigsmith]

Oh dear don't slander the above by saying they were done by Rocna, those are totally independent tests - West Marine and Yachting Monthly.

Independent testing (Rocna Knowledge Base)

To the OP, if you have read about the "superior holding" of the Bruce, you have a lot of research still to do Even proponents of the anchor, rapidly dwindling as they are, know they need to use a far larger size than alternatives for the same performance. Then you have the issue that only inferior copies are available these days. North Star is probably up there in terms of quality but you're still talking knock-offs.

Old generation anchors (Rocna Knowledge Base)

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by craigsmith

Oh dear don't slander the above by saying they were done by Rocna, those are totally independent tests - West Marine and Yachting Monthly.

Sorry for the assumption, it was on the Rocna site and I didn't read all the text.

[senormechanico]

I have a 26 lb North Star and have used it all over the PNW.
I've never dragged with it and it sets great 98% of the time.
So far with this anchor, the biggest blow we've experienced is 30+ knots.